How two female innovators are reducing N3.5trn food waste

Nigeria loses about 40 percent of its food output annually, an estimated N3.5 trillion, due to poor infrastructure, inadequate cold chain systems and inefficient transportation.

This staggering loss not only worsens food insecurity and farmer poverty but also adds to environmental damage through greenhouse gas emissions from decaying produce.

In response, a new generation of innovators is reimagining how food is produced, preserved, and distributed.

Among them is Forti Foods, a Lagos-based startup founded by Adenike Adekunle, which is deploying food science and technology to reduce post-harvest waste and improve food access across Nigeria.

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Backed by Antler Africa, a global early-stage venture capital firm, Forti Foods is producing fortified, ready-to-eat Nigerian meals that can stay fresh for up to 12 months without refrigeration.

These shelf-stable meals are vacuum-sealed and sterilised to eliminate oxygen and bacteria – the main causes of spoilage – using a process that requires no preservatives or artificial additives.

“Our role at Forti Foods is to support farmers and communities in remarkable ways. We are revolutionising not just how food is produced, but how it is distributed,” Adekunle told BusinessDay.
“We are introducing dignity into food and ensuring that people without regular access to nutritious meals can still enjoy fortified, convenient, and culturally relevant food,” she said.

At the core of Forti Foods’ innovation is a simple idea: preserve the meals Nigerians love most, such as jollof rice, beans porridge, tuwo shinkafa with peanut stew, and rice and beans, in a safe, nutritious form that can be easily distributed anywhere, from schools and military bases to disaster zones.

Adekunle’s vision for food reform was born out of personal experience. Based in London for years, she ran a successful meal-prep company catering to busy Nigerian professionals who craved home-cooked food. She later opened Café NG, a restaurant at the Nigerian Embassy in London that became a cultural hub for the diaspora community.

Her return to Nigeria in 2018 marked a turning point. While volunteering with food banks in Lagos, Adekunle witnessed firsthand how chaotic and unsafe food distribution could be. “During one outreach, things went terribly wrong – food wastage, disorder, and even children getting hurt. Despite our good intentions, it showed me how broken food distribution really was. I thought there had to be a better way,” she recalled.

That experience inspired the creation of Forti Foods, a company built to solve the challenges of food storage, safety, and equitable distribution. By focusing on longer-lasting, nutrient-rich local dishes, Forti Foods helps ensure that food from Nigeria’s farms doesn’t end up in landfills, but on plates where it’s needed most.

Nutrition is also a key pillar of Forti Foods’ model. The company collaborates with DSM-Firmenich, a global leader in nutrition science, to fortify its meals with essential micronutrients like iron, zinc, folic acid, and magnesium.

Each meal aligns with World Food Programme (WFP) fortification standards for West Africa and is designed to tackle the silent epidemic of nutrient deficiencies often overlooked in Nigeria’s food system.

“We want to ensure people get real nourishment, not just calories. Our meals are both convenient and wholesome, designed for soldiers, students, aid recipients, and even busy professionals who need a reliable meal that retains the flavours and nutrients of home-cooked food,” Adekunle said.

Forti Foods’ first major target market is the defense and emergency response sector, where Nigeria spends millions of dollars annually importing ready-to-eat rations. By producing these meals locally, the company is providing a cost-effective, culturally relevant alternative that also creates local jobs and reduces dependence on imports.

“Our meals are already being tested in Borno State by a military arm, and the feedback has been excellent,” Adekunle revealed.

The company is also in talks with schools, boarding institutions, and humanitarian agencies such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Red Cross, offering traceable, tamper-proof packaging to ensure accountability in food distribution.

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Anil Atmaramani, Antler Africa partner, told BusinessDay that startups like Forti Foods represent a growing movement of climate-smart, post-harvest innovation in Africa’s food ecosystem. By reducing waste and improving food access, such ventures are not only tackling hunger but also building resilience in the face of rising inflation, insecurity, and climate shocks, Atmaramani averred.

Lola Masha, another Antler Africa partner, said the firm is proud to back founders like Adekunle who are “building transformative solutions that solve real problems for Africa.”

Williams’ ReelFruit

From the moment Affiong Williams left a thriving position as portfolio manager at a South African firm, Williams knew exactly what she wanted to do. She was ready to tap into the agricultural sector, which at the time was unexplored.

Her main goal was to be part of the solution to an issue that stood at the forefront of agriculture in Africa’s most populous nation — post-harvest loss. In celebration of the 2025 International Day of the Girl Child theme, ‘Girls on the frontlines of crisis,’ William’s story shines brightly.

The hurdles involved in processing raw food in Africa’s most populous nation are numerous. From energy cost to sourcing raw materials to logistic issues, Williams knew all too well what awaited her. However, she was determined.

That determination from the then 25-year-old Williams birthed what has become Nigeria’s first dried fruit processing company — ReelFruit. The company processes mangoes, cashews, bananas, and pineapples.

In a media interview back in 2023, she said her initial goal was to produce fruit juice as a means of cutting down on post-harvest losses for fruit farmers.

However, Williams knew that she could not afford to build a fruit juice factory at the early stages of the business. So, processing dried fruits came as an alternative business idea, which could also help achieve the same goal.

“My desire to launch ReelFruit in 2012 was borne out of my decision to venture into the agribusiness sector. I believe that agriculture has huge untapped potential both in wealth creation and job opportunities. I am motivated by the possibility that I can change lives and create employment and wealth for myself and others,” she said in a media interview.

Thirteen years later, 38-year-old Williams has gone on to not only contribute to tackling post-harvest loss, but also providing over 1,000 job opportunities in the agribusiness value chain.

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At the 2025 AgriConnect conference in Lagos, she shared that: “When I decided to go into fruit processing, I knew what the challenges would be. I mean, I was the first person in Nigeria to tread that path.”

Williams’ story paints a picture of grit and what Nigeria can achieve if more women were allowed a chance in boardrooms, politics, and entrepreneurship.

The existence of Reel Fruit is an example. What started as a small business in her Surulere apartment has now gone on to become a successful global enterprise.